The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-12-21
How City Lots are Sold 10 Distant In
vestors.--A Paradise In the PrOspec.
tive, a Bleak Forrest in Fact.

How City Lots are Sold 10 Distant In
vestors.-A Paradise In the PrOspec.
tive, a Bleak Forrest in Fact.
fCondensed from Ne,O York Herdld.]
.Tallapoosa, Ga; the City of the Golden
River" Such is the catching headllne OF q
pretty eight-page paper, which sets forth the
alleged charms OF Tailapoosa las q home,
as an Investment, as q place OF permanent
employment, rs place OF comfort, com
potency and health for all, with fortunes lot
many"
The Garden of Eden was a sterile and pov;,
erty stricken corner of the earth compared
with this "City Of the Golden River"-as 1t is
described in the literature circulated by lhe
company. Company? Ofcourse-the Italia
pooSa Land, Mining and Manufacturing
Company" organized In June last. Its al
fairs, ;" according to the journal quoted, are
men. who have the interests OF Tallapoosa al
heart and believe In the vast mineral re-
sources Of the South"
Nothing could be more skillfully construct
ed than all this To the ambitious workman
is held out the alleged certainty OF betterlng
his condition to the humane anu unselnsn
unknown is offered the chance TO provide ior
his family, and the cupidity OF all classes IL
invok ed by the promise of a rapid rise in the
value Of the lots they may buy.
IN SEARCH OF FACTS.
However, the standing order TO all Herdtd
men Is TO secure facts-facts ut no mater what
expenditure of labor and money. The New
York address OF The Tallapoosa Com nPaTS YVES Mas
the reporter went IN search OF further lnlor,
nation. The home of the company proved
to be in the offices Of the "Silvcr springs
Park Land and Improvement Company"
This Is one of the Florida companies shown
up In the Herald.
The president Of the company proved 10
be Col. George w. Adair, who Is reai estate
dealer Of Atlanta. The list of the directors
was headed with the name OF Hon. John b.
Gordon, Governor of Georgia. In the list
was Gurdon w. Hull, also prominent III tne
Silver Springs deal, and James II. flummer'
organizer of the Belmore Florida Land Com
pany, which was exposed In the HeTgtd IN n
January, 1886. Oddly enough, Messrs. Hull q
Dean are set down as OF New 4oIk, Wneress
their home is understood to be WalrinIg,ofIE;
q newspaper man in Chicago, is also set down
selves New Yorkers on the strength Of the
tor. Col. A. ]. Mcbride, q crockery dealer in
Atlanta, is set down, as OF Tallapoosa. Mr.;
Plummer figures as assistant secretary OF
the company. 1t was pretty evident tnat ms
prospectus with such wealth Of Oriental i'm
agery, was now doing like service LOT la'la-
poosa.
CATCHING BUYERS BY MAIL.
Several clerks were busy enclosing In wrap
pers for mailing, copies OF the prospectus,
making a special offer OF stock Of the COM
pany Mt fifty cents on the dollar.-capftal
stock 81, 900 ,oOo-price list OF the lots remain
ing unsold and other literature setting forth
the matchless attractions Of "The City or the
Golden River" These papers are widely DIS,
tributed through the mails, and 1t appeared
that many lots were being bought by mail.
The buyers select the property. from the maps
ON which each lot Is numberd-ascertaln n the
amount asked from the printed price list and
send check IN payment. On each map were
printed directions rs to ordering by mail anr
guaranteeing Subtraction to those VINO Dousmt
in that way. The map showed streets
avenues. bOulevardS, parks and horse car
routeS-a beautiful city.
AN INVITATION TO VISIT THE CITY ACCEPTED
4 copy Of this map, nicely mounted, was
displayed in the office, and on 1t would-be IN.
veSturs were shown desirable lots. eS,
said the attendant who took the HeTdtd man
In charge; "yCs, we will sell you lot when
you may select right here from the map, but
(wiih q GRIM we would rather have you rlSlt
TullnpoOsa and select your lot right on the
ground. This was evidently STOCK STATE
ment and one calcucted to give confidence to
haliing investors. AS the trip would cost
about as much as an average lot the chal-
lcugc was not likely to be often accepted IN
accordance with the standing order OIL Inc
NeraM to always procure facts, the reporter,
hover, unheSiiatingly accepted the lnfltt,
tiun. 1t was only Il ride of one thousand
miles anyway, and the Piedmont AIT Line
runs almost Str3l3nL us an dCTO".
sa is in Northwestern Georgia, within a few
miles OF the Alabama State line ana on inc
Georgia Pacific Railroad. The cities OF An
niStOn and Birmingham. Ala, are on lhe saiIe
line, the former about forty and the latter
about one hundred miles further west. Inc
reporter left on the evening train.
A EAcKwooDs VILLAGE OF LOG CABINS.
The brakeman called out "Talapoosn" on
the afternoon OF the second day., and the re-
porter stepped out upon the platform: II was
q wretched looking place. Back from the
road on either hand stretched the pine ana
oak clad hills through whicn the Tram hAu
either side and parallel with the railroad
struggled sandy country road, along Wnlch
were scattered lot of one-story, ana most OF
them unpaiiitcd. board structures with thelr
gables to the road 1t was just such back
woods village as may be found anywhere
among the hills Of that reigon, the building
of the railroad through 1t having awakened
er, golden or otherwise, in view. The strucc:
lures referred to were the local habitatl0n OF
the "leading business houses located at Ialiu-
poosa," as the reporter discovered from the
signs.
THE LEADING BUSINESS HOUSES A SAW
MILL, A BLACKSMITH SHOP, AND
CROSSROADS STORE.
One OF these buildings on this business ave.
nue. was occupied as dwelling, as could
plainly De seen Oy tOOhluS luCOuBu tuc
dow opening-window opening Is the phrase,
for there had never been any sashes In 1t
nothing but big board shutter wherewith to
close the opening at night or in stormy wealth
er. This however, 10 not an uncommon fea-
ture in Tallapoosa dwellings. A glance at
some OF the leading business houses located
In Tallapoosa, Ga.." named in the prospectus
showed that one Is q country blacksmlth
shop, another q modest livery stable, another
a portable sawmill another Il little onc-story
cottuge occupied by O woman who likes up
bonnets for tue wives and daughters OF the
village folk-or at least stands ready to do 1t.
judging from general appeara aces she ls not
kept very busy. Another OF the leading
business houses located In Tallapoosa, Ca,
on the list is O little board grisL mill on q
neighboring creek. The stock in most OF the
shops was identical-some hardware, gro
ceries, domestic sheetings, cheap prints and
"notions;" Just the stock to be found in
crossroads store in any Of the Middle States.
A CITY OF sPECULAToRs AND swINDLERs.
1t is easy to believe the statement that
three years ago the population OF Tallapoosa
was fiIty-siX. Now 1t Is evidently swollen by
real estate agents and the employees and
managers of the company and the visitors at.
tractcd from the surrounding country by lule
curiosity and widespread advertisements. \
smart carriage and pair waits the arrival OF
every train TO show visitors over the city
and out to the "mines," too, If they are de-
tcrmined to visit the latter. 1t Is the COM
81. iS II IL the